Villa Bentota, A Great Getaway…

Starting to make plans for a late summer getaway or Eid break? Craving for a lush green destination? Just a short hop away is The Villa Bentota, Sri Lanka’s first boutique hotel and part of design entrepreneur, Shanth Fernando’s ‘Paradise Road’ brand consisting of divine hotels, merchandise, art galleries and restaurants. The only problem is, most of the gorgeous hotel bits & bobs can be bought in the Paradise Road stores – dangerous!

2 – 12. The hotel interior is simple but stunning. The accessories (most available at the Paradise Road Shop of which a small outlet is located on the premises!!) make for a cosy low-key escape.

The Villa Bentota is housed in the Mohotti Walauwa which was converted into Sri Lanka’s first boutique hotel in the 1970s by world-renowned Architect, the late Geoffrey Bawa. Paradise Road took over the property in 2007 and refurbished and extended the original hotel with great sensitivity to the original design. Each room is individually decorated and the grounds are dotted with lovely little nooks to explore and escape to.

13 – 20. You can see why it is hard to leave!

Apart from the resort style setting and the delicious food on offer, the real treat is the hotels location; only a stones throw away from the beach and with the Colombo to Galle train passing by on a regular basis, you never tire from jumping up from the pool to take a peek!

23. Outdoor room with a view…… the resort has many outdoor rooms, and with only 15 guest rooms it is easy to find a place of your own to relax and soak up the great Sri Lankan atmosphere. 24 – 27.The hotel grounds, with the unexpected passing train (26) giving a loud blast as it passes by!

The Saffron Souk is a Gulf-based community for lovers of creativity and beautiful things. Whether you’re a maker, a merchant of unique things or a lover of the hard to find, The Saffron Souk is a place where you can connect, interact and shop from people with the common interest of a love for creativity and beautiful things.